Large reaching datasets quantify the impact of age, sex/gender, and experience on motor control

As we age, our movements become slower and less precise—but the extent of this decline remains unclear. To address this, we harmonized data from 2390 participants across four published studies using a standard center-out reaching task. We found that older age was associated with a steady decline in reaction time (–1.3 ms/year), movement time (–4.3 ms/year), and movement precision (–0.04°/year). Although the rate of decline did not differ by sex/gender, females consistently reacted more slowly (–6.4 ms), moved more slowly (–44.6 ms), and exhibited greater precision ( + 0.6°) across the adult lifespan. Using the dataset that included experiential measures, we found that sex/gender differences were markedly reduced once factors, such as video game use, daily computer usage, and daily sleep, were taken into account, whereas age remained a consistent predictor of motor decline. Together, these findings provide a large-scale examination of age, sex/gender, and experiential effects on motor control, offering a normative benchmark to inform future clinical interventions aimed at preserving motor function across the lifespan.